The next class will be Wednesday the 13th of March at 20:00. You will need your own laptop running either OS X or Windows. Max does not currently run on Linux. If you want to make your Linux machine make funny noises, you should consider [http://puredata.info/ PureData]. Class will be in the [[Classrooms#Turing|Turing classroom]], which adjoins the Church classroom at the back of the space.

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The next class will be Wednesday the 10th of April at 20:00. You will need your own laptop running either OS X or Windows. Max does not currently run on Linux. If you want to make your Linux machine make funny noises, you should consider [http://puredata.info/ PureData]. Class will be in the [[Classrooms#Turing|Turing classroom]], which adjoins the Church classroom at the back of the space.

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This week? No idea. I'll be out of town, so Geoff's going to impose his own iron will on the class. Good luck.

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Now that we're all Max experts, it's time for us to put on a concert. This is, after all, what people do when they become recognized and celebrated geniuses in their respective fields: they invent some kind of spectacle to cement for all eternity the scope of their dominion over their medium. Granted, we've only been messing with Max for a couple months or so, but I think we're close enough.

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I'd like for everyone involved to put together a performance piece of at least three minutes. That piece can have audio or visual or even sculptural elements to it. It can sound good or bad or neither. It doesn't even actually have to use Max. The only rule is that it must have a live component. You, the composer, have to actually shape the evolution of the piece in some way as it goes on. No pre-recorded music.

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We'll be talking more about materials and sharing inspiration in the classes leading up to the performance. I'll also be fleshing out more exactly the requirements for each piece.

Latest revision as of 09:45, 8 April 2013

Contents

The next class will be Wednesday the 10th of April at 20:00. You will need your own laptop running either OS X or Windows. Max does not currently run on Linux. If you want to make your Linux machine make funny noises, you should consider PureData. Class will be in the Turing classroom, which adjoins the Church classroom at the back of the space.

Now that we're all Max experts, it's time for us to put on a concert. This is, after all, what people do when they become recognized and celebrated geniuses in their respective fields: they invent some kind of spectacle to cement for all eternity the scope of their dominion over their medium. Granted, we've only been messing with Max for a couple months or so, but I think we're close enough.

I'd like for everyone involved to put together a performance piece of at least three minutes. That piece can have audio or visual or even sculptural elements to it. It can sound good or bad or neither. It doesn't even actually have to use Max. The only rule is that it must have a live component. You, the composer, have to actually shape the evolution of the piece in some way as it goes on. No pre-recorded music.

We'll be talking more about materials and sharing inspiration in the classes leading up to the performance. I'll also be fleshing out more exactly the requirements for each piece.

Is your computer currently usable? When you type the letter 'k', does the 'k' character appear on the screen? Are the images in front of you right-side up? Are your internal speakers currently silent, as opposed to emitting a deafening, 18kHz sine tone?

Don't worry, There is hope. Enter Max/MSP--the programming language of the future. Invented by the French for the purpose of challenging the dialectic between man and machine and for confusing the general public, Max makes it easy to connect input to output in a rapid, whimsical and experimental manner. Programming in Max is as simple as hooking objects together using virtual connections called patchcords. Those patchcords can carry instructions, streaming data, sound, video or just about anything else, so it's easy to use Max to explore unexpected possibilities. You want to use Max to drive LED's? Or maybe to make your face dance? Max can do basically anything. Something is a proper subset of anything. Therefore, if you want to do something, Max can probably help.

Noise~ covers the basics, from building a simple patch all the way through tackling algorithmic composition and working with live video. The first class will be targeted at total beginners and will begin at the absolute beginning: downloading Max, opening a patcher and making something happen. From there, as long as there is interest there will be classes.